Early Momentum Proves Not Enough as Greenville Falls at Home
Greenville, SC (June 2, 2024)- The Greenville Triumph faced off against the Chattanooga Red Wolves for the first time this season and fell 3-1. Two second half goals sealed the match for the away side, with Greenville unable to rally. The Triumph still hold the top spot in USL League One with a 5-3-1 record.
Greenville came out strong right from the start, with a near miss in the 2nd minute when their early chance was skillfully knocked away by the Red Wolves’ keeper, William Bush. Despite the initial pressure from Greenville, the Red Wolves’ Mayele Malango retaliated swiftly with a shot from distance, trying to catch Greenville goalkeeper, Christian Garner off his line. Back on the attack, Triumph midfielder Evan Lee almost capitalized on a brilliant cross from forward Lyam MacKinnon in the 10th minute, only for it to be deflected off teammate Hayden Anderson right in front of the net. Chattanooga struck first blood in the 14th minute, taking a 1-0 lead when forwards Chevone Marsh and Malango connected. Greenville’s Jamie Smith made a crucial block just two minutes later, preventing the score line from widening. The pressure paid off for Greenville when Anderson netted his first goal of the season in the 23rd minute, leveling the score 1-1 before the halfway point.
As the second half kicked off, Smith lined up for a penalty kick in the 47th minute, but was denied by the Red Wolves’ keeper, William Bush. Nate Schultz played a pivotal role in defense, stopping a dangerous dribble in the 53rd minute with a brilliant slide tackle. Chattanooga regained the lead in the 54th minute, making it 2-1 when a badly deflected ball landed at the head of Marsh. The away side quickly added another to the scoreboard, following a mistake by Greenville’s backline. Once again, the men in green had a chance to cut Chattanooga’s lead but Lee’s penalty kick was too strong and rebounded off the crossbar. The Triumph continued to battle, with Lee blocking a critical shot from outside the box in the 69th minute, and Ben Zakowski’s shot being tipped away by the Red Wolves’ keeper in the 71st minute. In the dying moments of the match, Smith made a decisive block in the 87th minute, preventing a hat-trick for the Red Wolves forward and keeping the final score at 3-1 in favor of Chattanooga.
“They counterattacked and scored three goals, and we missed some chances early,” said head coach Rick Wright. “I think if we were to put those away, we would have moved on and done better but this is football.”
Greenville will travel to Georgia next Sunday to take on Tormenta FC at 7:30PM and then will return home on June 19th to play Charlotte Independence at 7PM. Tickets are on sale now.
Head Coach, Rick Wright on the match: “The boys did battle to the end; they’re warriors, they really are. Take nothing away from them. We’ll regroup, then we’ll become better and we’ll get back at it.”
